Saturday, April 29, 2017

In Spring..I like to bring in the "Entrée des Artistes" floor mat .. and replace it w/ colors that go better with the wicker porch seat cushions..it's a fountain of youth for the porch after a brisk winter..COLOR.Angels Gather Here was a gift/birdfeeder when when moved here 16 yrs ago..it's beside the door and has not even weathered.Little did I know that day that darling little angels would gather here:)An old hydrangea wreath..there's a little picture frame in it w/ words about Nana's House..It was so sunny..not complaining.. but I had my exposure set to + 1 something..never looked..anyway..everything was soo bright it didn't show up..birdhouses..wicker..and hello.. all things that make me like our front door.I LOVE old wood doors..OLD metal doors..OLD anything..but married to a guy who loves new;)I made my first cake with our eggs..Marie had posted a lovely vanilla vanilla vanilla cake:)

She is an enabler..lol..Marie and my chickens;)

No doubt you recognize..Carol's work..I am so in love w/ this one..it's getting framed too..if I can find the right size..etc..right now it is in my recipe book acrylic holder..replacing Mimi Thorisson for the moment..she won't care;)

You know..I was always careful here with what I hung up..all my curtains are on spring rods..well the few that I have..many things are hung w/ 3 M hanger thingies..

What am I saving the walls for?Who am I saving the walls for?

Stopping this nonsense.right now.

This time of year..I could literally post a post a day..Life is born..and I get excited and sleep worse than usual..worth every sleepless moment..♥I search our gardens and borrowed landscape..for bouquets:)I never ever pick Trilliums..you shouldn't..but I love looking at them..and talking their photo.2 ducks spent today here and at my neighbors..Jacques ..said :"you are getting a few too many pets"~LOLSo ...I am reading a troubling book..One Hour In Paris..that could very well be..one hour,anywhere on earth.In fact at 18..I wanted to backpack in Europe after college before University..and my mom was sad about it..so I stayed and went to University..and she died that same year..my first semester at McGill..I left after that..not for Europe..but I left University..and the rest is history..The subject of PTSD..is of such importance to me.I truly believe..that this can happen under many circumstances..and I truly believe it changes a person for life..rape victims.. veterans..abused children..adults..either physically or mentally..in so many more ways than we can describe..If someone is brought to the point of physical pain that has no description..and that does not end..I believe this causes PTSD.Same for verbal abuse etc..If you have a chance read the book..so many poor people live w/ this..and the people that cause it..get away scot free..As in Amazing Grace that I just read..again..PTSD..because of one maniac..very good book by the way~sadly..these things happen more than we know..I just watched 13.. on Netflix..I cried the first episode..and then the drama..caught me off guard..same thing..not to be confused with 13 reasons why..which I have not watched.And it happens repeatedly..we need pacifists..kind people..caring people..smart people..in charge..to take away the bad.

Monday, April 24, 2017

It's seems so slow to finally get here once you have been teased..Sunday was such a tease..It was the first really sunny day w/ scillas and snowdrops..and buds on trees..It was the day Caramelle and Bécassine came to love with us..lol that is a typo and I am leaving it..live with us is what I had intended to write.Alain brought his work of art/heart over w/ a friend's trailer and Frédérick helped him set it up..etc..It..is the chicken coop Alain built for us..it is a mini version of his large coop..the back corner here was a busy place till almost 3PM..all 4 boys were there..Mylène came..she had been to the gym..Caroline came she had been running..I came.. I had been making muffins lol..and Jacques kept the boys company getting things that were needed along the way..it is so cute.. I am leaving it natural..the climate in QC is not ideal for painting decks..wood..white etc..pretty soon the large shrub in back will be bushy, leafy and green..and that side part Alain and Noah are working on is a planter box..much too early to plant in it ..it will come..Alain gathered everything we needed..even got the chickens and built it all..Jacques and I both love it..and I gathered my very first warm egg..the next day..the temp was 32F..I got up at 6.15 like a farm girl..and they had not laid yet..I woke them up..they were upstairs sleeping;)Not sure if you spotted the vintage bell..Alain bought that for us for the coop..just so cute..I hung a frame in their coop..laughs ..everyone laughed..I know they appreciate it:)I'll show you an update when it is finished w/ flowers and shrubs filled in..I won't show you Noah's hands full of worms..to give to the chickens..because the shot is so clear..you might feel queazy;)The boys had a picnic..made discoveries in the secret garden..and did what boys do..get filthy.;)Remember my tulip tip..well it didn't work w/ this mixed bunch

See..they drooped everywhere..same treatment..so I guess you just never know and no one is an expert;)

I named this bouquet Heather;)

Because..she knows better than me;)

By the way I made these..and they are delicious..from Dorie and Tutti Dolci..

I know I am posting early..but all of a sudden in QC..everything happens at once..I can't skip a beat for this journal of mine..The garlic is all up..Who knew curly parsley was a perennial?Here..Thyme..oregano..chives..lovage..rhubarb..all poking..up..I have started seedlings and dahlias..and foolishly maybe..I have planted Ranunculus♥Time will tell..Right now..it's..

Friday, April 21, 2017

So you saw chaos in the kitchen for Easter..this is my peace and quiet version....in the kitchen..not nearly as lively or happy or busy..yet I am ok w/ calm too.all seasons are clearly seen through our windows..and I am so grateful for this....white..brown..green..technicolor..this is where I spend a lot of time...there's a lot of stuff going on..in my kitchen..actually probably everywhere and maybe that's why I am a tidy freak..you can't have collections AND a mess..that becomes hoarding to me..I need to see everything in it's place..yet I can visit..anyone who is not like that and appreciate their fun.What is it they say?"Dull women have immaculate homes?"I am on the verge of dull..Goodie One Shoe.I like looking at things that make me happy inside..like Rita Moreno I guess..just saw the inside of her home..she's not living in her house to be like a magazine on a shelf..it's got her stuff..:)So..looking outdoors for one..for me..is a treat....a basil plant..my Cucina things..the scent sends me to the moon..the jade plant that was almost a peanut when I bought it to go into this planter a friend gave me..Nancy's Sel..Café..Thé..etc.. apothecary very REAL French jars.. etc..bought in the south of France maybe 40 yrs ago..more more.. even..I think I am taking those w/ me when I go..I don't want to see them on Varage Sale..or in a Garage sale;)Avez-vous lu mes belles filles?:)♥These have to b kept..like my mother's things:)I don't like windows hidden by curtains here except bathroom and bedroom..lace in the dnr.. darkness to sleep..apart from that..please let the light shine in..right now is possibly the ugliest time to look out..no leaves..brown grass..leftover leaves..bleak w/ the rain..as I type..I can't help but feel for people that live in flooded areas right in my area..we are by a lake..bt we live UP the street,,..state of emergencies have been declared..evacuations..can't imagine:( Can't imagine Les Champs -Elysées....I visited chickens this week..gorgeous chickens..I like naming chickens;)I always used to cut my tulips..the stems..then remove leaves that would be below the water line..change the water every second day..fill my big round fishbowl w/ water..and place my tulips..eventually they drooped and I loved that look..but this look is cool too..from the Marchande De Fleurs tip..at a flower market..don't cut..place like an inch of frigid water..and they will not droop..and they will last...top off w/ ice cubes every few days..Jacques likes this upright look ..so does Caro ..I do too..but the loose side of me ..likes the droopy look too..I made this of Marie's w/ Jacques' home made hot Italian sausage and a ton of that basil..it was good!I had not used cottage cheese in yrs..this makes 2 meals for us..we ate half..so easy and good!I made some quiches..because I had so many pretty eggs:)!See the minis?The little brown ones..?These are what ..eggs look like from new laying chickens..small and gorgeous and fresh..they will get bigger..Pol Martin's quiche recipe..my fave recipe..so much cream! LOL whipping..thick cream.. 1 .5 cups to 3 eggs..well worth the indulgence though..That makes 2 dinners for us..I.. by chance..read on a Wet Canvas forum..(I had Googled something which led me to WC)..that Legion paper was sending out a set of 3 sheets of watercolor paper..samples to those who asked..I went and asked.... and forgot about it..you know Canada..US..shipping etc..I thought what are the chances that it applied to here..out of the blue about 1 month ago..I received a note saying they had not forgotten about me..and then on Good Friday..(delivered the day before..no mail here GF and Easter Monday)..I had the sheets..how totally generous of them ..I was with my daughter and she said..: "Wow ..$9.50 in shipping..for 3 sheets of paper.."..I acknowledged that ..it was indeed very very generous..I was so surprised..anyway..I tried half of one sheet and I am smitten..I never frame what I paint..I have an oil of Lucas that is sitting in a frame..unframed but on display..but this one I did frame..I matched the frame to the one I chose for Susan's beautiful gift to me..and now they are one above the other by my cookbook/telephone kitchen office area:)I love the paper..and will buy more.So samples work.Next time I am in the US.. chaching.:)♥That good!Have a nice weekend..at least I think I am starting to see buds on trees.

Monday, April 17, 2017

Easter 2017~Sometimes we have snow..sometimes we have rain..sometimes freezing..rarely sunny and mild..and never ..ever..ever..what I see on blogs or IG w/ daffodils and tulips and bright green grass and little chicks running around....here..you just never know..Wuthering Heights heavy..misty..spitting rain kind of day here..it was..once a week ..about..I wash my hair and blow dry the kinks out..straight..I ironed it as a teen..w/ wax paper..lol..one of my daughters arrived earlier in the AM to hide clothes pegs all over our property..more later...she told Jacques:"Tell mom it's frizzy hair day.." I was making the salad inside..and thought..just let it go..so I dampened the ends..and stuck 3 bobby pins in it..and went outside later in the rain to take photos etc..so Janis Joplin I was again..(Respectfully.)Easter is so different for us now..Little ..I had my dress coat..gloves..shiny shoes..went to church all my life w/ my mom until she went to see Him up close and personal..I was 19.:( You all know how many tears I have shed over that day throughout my life..I married that yr..and was saddened to learn I could not marry in church because Jacques was a divorced man.He was divorced when I was 13.. At 19 I was still going to church..so we married at city hall and the Justice of the peace said to Jacques:"Better Luck This Time"~Well my romantic notions of a wedding in church..being blessed by the priest..didn't happen.I stopped going to church.When we had the girls..we went back..they were baptized..had their first communions..etc..then the girls grew up..and it was harder to get us all to go..and by then..I was ready to stop.we returned for about 1 yr a few yrs ago..and have stopped again..All this to say..that Easter here..is really all about the bunny.Our children and their children..are ..well of a newer generation here..that seems quite prevalent.It does not change what our beliefs are..just the way we live them.So all this to say..this post is all about cake ,braided breads,cookies and straws.No religious context..so forgive the materialism of the whole thing.Mylène..brought empty baskets and the boys had to find 25 clothespins each to earn their filled basket..the last few yrs..the eggs were found in a heartbeat,this made..the hunt outside last even longer..in the spitting mist..;)so the pins were packed away and the filled goody baskets brought in..and the fun continued..I think they had a ball..at one point it was pouring and they all went out and took their shirts off..and ran in the rain..(I had daughters in pretty dresses w/ dolls..) this is all new to me..but I find it hysterical and wish I had done that.;) Not yesterday..but young..:)I made cookies..the ones I make every yr..just used a unicorn cutter....let me tell you that horn..is FRAGILE..in case you ever make them..I made the speckled cake..I had Pinned some last yr..just used a coconut white chocolate cake recipe..(Part boxed lol)..my girls loved it little..the spattering is messy..I did it outside..you can do it a few ways..just Google around;)I made these cute breads..all the kids ate the eggs too!Just a word of caution..one recipe makes 8 rolls..not 4:) I doubled it..lol..the last thing you want to do one hour before everyone arrives is braid 16 buns..I had made 8 eggs so only 8 had eggones..the rest I put sprinkles on them....I felt so silly..I often..do not read through a recipe..I read..makes 4..done..double it..later in the body of the recipe it says form 8 balls blablabla..I have told the more than delightful fabulous talented accomplished fantastic blogger..just so she fixes it:)You can find the recipe here..Made a clam chowder..you can see the lovely ladle..lol..the basting brush for the loaves..the tulips Noah gave me:) A clam chowder..made te oyster crackers..we don't have any here..a spiral cut ham..a Goat's mustard sauce:)..and chinese salad..where it got that name must be because of the bean sprouts..it's a classic 1970's salad w/ spinach and rice and raisins and cashews and sprouts etc..The day was..Chaos.my beautiful chaos.Mylène ordered adorable straws for the Littles..(not so little anymore..)..and I loved that shot Caroline took of me w/ Lucas..I hate having my photo taken.. not crazy about the bobby pins ..frizzball hair..the bright nail polish that is already OFF..LOL and all the at the moment clutter lol..but I love the feeling..this is how I love them..so much.♥Here's a funny little story...

Katie and Brooklyn..Oli's friends..walked by and saw me working in the garden..Saturday..they had baskets ..I said:" Hi Girls!"Katie said: "Hi!"And walked up to me w/ Brooklyn..they were selling cookies they made $1.00 each♥Brooklyn still had a few..I bought her bunny..Katie..had that half egg left..lol.I asked her if someone ate half? She said ..:"Oh no..Vanessa broke off half.."I told her I would of course buy it♥That it looked delicious.In the words of Art Linklletter..Kids say the darndest things.and I love that.They don't care if their hair is frizzy..if they have bruises on their eye (Oli.. a helping Nana in the garden mishap)....or missing teeth..they don't care if they are shirtless in the rain..and they are such good people.If I had to pick friends..they would all be children.So those were my Easter purchases apart from 3 large Kinder Eggs:)P.S. I always post about Easter because my blog is my journal..not my deep down personal one..just my every day one.I like to come back and look and read..Have a great day..I'll be washing my floors lol.

Monday, April 10, 2017

I discovered that the recent glass art table I bought on a whim w/ Jacques..(he found it..he brought me to it..it's his fault..)..I discovered ..it makes an amazing light table..better than my small light box and better than my computer..I rarely use a box..rarely..I prefer looking at a photo and drawing it out..but I tried w/ that photo I took..I placed it on the table..the watercolor card on top and a light under..traced the outlines and the sign..then set myself up and painted..I liked doing it..cheating in a way..but it works:)The seedlings are popping up..those are calendulas..the tomatoes are getting really big..this was Aril 5th!Tried these braids..so cute and fun..but I may have erred..found them here.. a blog I like..and she had linked to here.. At BHG they divided the recipe..she didn't..I got confused and divided..froze the other half..and made 4 braids..not sure if they shoud have been smaller?Oh well..cute and good.I did use semolina..I get it atan Italian grcer.I use it in pizza doughs sometimes.I signed up for a weekly delivery of a farm basket..not a regular farm..a conglomeration of farms.. rooftops.. dairy..etc..once a week they will deliver to a local spot.I think I am smitten..No..I don't think...I am smitten..♥♥the greens..were so crunchy and fresh..the eggs so pastel and free range..the microgreens beautiful.Friday night w/ the micro greens atop..I made baked Bang Bang shrimp.. ***** sautéed chopped baby bok choy w/ sesame oil..and garlic chips.. and sweet rice w/ red peppers and spring green onions..love that sauce:)Baked..so the only really bad thing is the Bang Bang sauce..C'est la vie:)***I don't even turn the shrimp over anymore..I have made this a few times..I now brown my Panko first..makes a prettier coating..I add this to the sauce..

Linda told me about it..she sent me some years ago..I have never looked back:)It adds zing and color..w/ the sesame seeds..really good.It was a thrill for me to add all the farm basket ingredients..I'll pause till after Easter..and then share some of the fun stuff:)I am sorry the first pic..the watercolor one..is greyish..not sure why..I am so happy to have been able to grow things under lights here..I was able to go to one or two..MTL flower markets this week..and I cannot say I am enamoured..at all..:(that's one thing in Paris..that took my breath away..HUGE bunches,healthy..etc..presentation..♥♥I am not ready to say that of MTL.. in April..in a flower market stall.Actually très disappointed.Maybe more later..until then..♥PS..I added my watercolor..a second time..brighter.. thanks to a really nice person who actually took the time to take mine..brighten it and send it back to me..you know..these little acts of impromptu kindnesses..are just tops in my books.Thank you Bryonna:)